the power or capacity to do something
After months of practice, Maria finally gained the ability to swim across the lake.
Smartphones give us the ability to communicate instantly with people around the world.
✦ From Latin ‘habilitas’ meaning ‘aptitude’ via Old French ‘abilite’.
a particular skill or talent that someone has
Her musical ability amazed the entire audience at the concert.
Drawing is an ability that improves with regular practice.
✦ Same origin as Sense 1, ultimately from Latin root meaning ‘able’.
a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities
After the accident, he learned to use a wheelchair because of his disability.
The school built ramps to ensure students with disabilities could enter every classroom.
the ability of a substance or system to remain unchanged and not break down, react, or fail under normal conditions
Stainless steel is valued for its stability in wet conditions.
The drug’s chemical stability allows it to be stored for years.
legal responsibility for something, especially for paying money if things go wrong.
The driver admitted liability for the accident.
If the product is faulty, the manufacturer may face liability in court.
✦ From late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from liable + ‑ity.
the quality of a person or thing that can be trusted to do what is expected or promised
Maria valued her friend's reliability when she needed someone to feed her cat.
The reliability of the bus service helped commuters arrive on time every day.
✦ formed from reliable + -ity, first recorded in the mid-19th century to describe the state or quality of being reliable
the chance, usually given as a percentage or probability, that a machine, system, or component will work without failure for a specific time under stated conditions
Engineers tested the bridge's reliability under heavy traffic loads.
The company boasts a 99% server reliability during peak hours.
✦ technical sense developed in the early 20th century alongside advances in engineering and statistics, extending the general idea of trustworthiness to measurable system performance
